Another night away…

Sorry for failing to post the lineup yesterday…was actually away from the stadium for a day, attending a close friend’s wedding. Now back at it again Sunday morning…

I also didn’t get the chance to post about Friday night’s suite event in which we hosted seveal of the Dodger fans who have their own blogs about the Dodgers. As many of you probably know, there are a handful of fans who put quite a bit of time into hosting these sites and they’ve become a great forum for fans to cheer, chat, gripe and get to know one another.

Back during the winter, we reached out to the 15 or so sites that are the most established and began sending them our media releases. After all, if they’re going to be writing about the Dodgers every day, they might as well have the most up to date information, right? On Friday, with short notice, five of the sites’ administrators were able to make it out and hear from the people who make many decisions around here, including Frank McCourt, Ned Colletti and Tommy Lasorda.

I think that most of the people in the suite got a better understanding of what goes into a lot of the decisions made here, both on and off the field, and for that, the entire event was well worth it. As the world continues to change and fans get their information from a number of different areas, this is certainly one that only seems to be getting bigger.

In any event, here’s the lineup for the series finale this afternoon…

Furcal, SS

Pierre, LF

Ethier, RF

Kent, 2B

Loney, 1B

Martin, C

Jones, CF

DeWitt, 3B

Billingsley, P

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Yesterday was a great win, but we are in full platoon mode. Pierre vs. RHP and Kemp vs. LHP. Though to be fair Pierre does do very well against Maddux and his speed should do well. I’m just tired of not seeing Matt Kemp in the lineup. I’m also tired of fighting, it really doesn’t help, we all just want to win. We just see how we get there differently.

I’m so glad that management invited the blogmakers, so that they could explain (sugarcoat is more like it) that very difficult decision making process. That should make it so much easier (NOT) to understand the stupid decisions leading to a lineup like shown above.

Let the bashing begin….i can’t go crazy about Pierre today, but the whole Kemp scenario stinks. Who would’ve thought a month ago this is what we would see. Maybe Ned can come on and address some of this. HAHAHAHA

The common people in the Dodger village are starving for a team they can unconditionally follow, but mangement feeds us crumbs of sour and stale veterans. Meanwhile, McCourt et al. are eating the cake made from the hard earned money of the proletariat by jacking the ticket, parking and concession prices.

Loney, Kent and Ethier have been showing power. Not just Loney. Ethier is a MUST start right now. Pierre and Jones that’s a different story. I’m extremely impressed with Blake DeWitt, I’m against sending DeWitt down to the minors. When Nomar is ready go back to 11 pitchers and keep DeWitt until LaRoche is ready. It’s not like Nomar will be able to play 6 games a week. Also, Billingsley absolutely owns the Padres 4-0 1.05 ERA last season (34 K’s/8 BB’s). This should be a good game regardless of the Kemp benching.

I don’t see what anyone can do. Unless someone is capable of organizing a fans’ revolt where 10,000 fans per game stay home and write in demanding their money back, nothing can be done. And that’s not going to happen.

Question for Josh:
Thank you for getting Ned to come on occassionally to answer questions. Do you think there is any chance of getting Joe Torre to come on here and answer the only question that any of the bloggers on here or most of the truly dedicated fans have about this team right now and that of course is why start Pierre over Kemp all these times when coming out of spring training you stated that Pierre was your fourth outfielder?
Thank you Josh for your work on the blog.

I’ll be all around in the dark. I’ll be everywhere. Wherever you can look, wherever there’s a fight, so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever there’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there. I’ll be in the way guys yell when they’re mad. I’ll be in the way kids laugh when they’re hungry and they know supper’s ready, and when people are eatin’ the stuff they raise and livin’ in the houses they build, I’ll be there. Whenever there’s an overpriced free agint or has been vetran to be bought, borrowded or traded for, I’ll be there. And when we’re in the celler alookin’ up at the Giants, I’ll be there too. – NED

LOL Enchanted. Well, at least if we make a mess of this season Ned may be gone. There could be a silver lining. It’s time for Ned’s work to either bear fruit or go away. He’s made the bed and is apparently ready to lie in it. It’s his job to lose.

this is pathetic, simply pathetic… sit down jones for crying out loud… but 18 million gets your 0 for nights and a ton of k’s… kemp is better than any outfielder we have he should be playing… although I like Ethier way better.

Ned went out and spent a ton of dough on Herpierre and the Fridge, so you know they are going to play. I don’t like it but not much you can do. Just have to hope they produce and our pitching holds up.

We need this game badly today. That would be 3 series wins out of 4 to start the season. 2 of them against the hated Puds. Not the worst way to start off. Really shows the importance of not getting swept in a series. Even 1 from the D-Backs would be looking pretty good right now. I think todays game hinges on Billz.

From today’s Daily News: “The Dodgers (5-6) still can’t catch a break in the opposing-pitcher department: they will face four-time Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux today. But their offense should get an additional boost by the return of Kent and the possible return of Kemp…” Ummm, no……………………………

Joe Torre has been very curious so far this season: “This is no reflection on Loaiza, but (Kuo) threw a lot of strikes, and he threw a number of pitches,” Torre said. “We’re just curious how that’s going to work as a starter.” And…”It made me curious enough to want to see (Furcal and Pierre at the top) again,” Torre said. I wonder how curious he is to see a set line-up that includes Kemp? Not very, I guess. And I wonder how curious he is to develop a possible franchise player? Not very, I guess.

I wish I could get more enjoyment out of the terrific starts of James Loney and Rafael Furcal, the solid play of Blake DeWitt, the outstanding performance of Derek Lowe last night, and the extra-base hitting of Andre Ethier.

Yep, Phew couldn’t get the runner to 3rd. That is his primary goal after that balk and Ferk at 2nd with 0 out. Weak fly to center. Ethiers fly would have scored him if Phew gets the job done. Piece of ……….!

LOYALTY, an old-fashioned concept, the lack of which I believe is at the heart of the Dodger’s problem and a strong characteristic of the McCourt era. It started when Frank booted the Dodgers’ GM and hired outside the organization. We had very well-qualified people within the organization that knew the players and could make intelligent decisions. But Frank had to hire people from Oakland and then San Francisco who didn’t have a clue about the Dodgers. And we had very well-qualified people within the organization to manage the team, people who are very knowledgeable of our farm system and what those players are capable of, but we had to import people from other organizations who also didn’t have a clue about the Dodgers. And of course those people had very little knowledge and zero loyalty to the talent on the farm, so we get a series of dumb trades and ridiculous free agent signings. We didn’t need any of the people from Oakland, San Francisco, Boston, New York, etc. What we needed was right within the organization. But I guess its more impressive to import other team’s people in their minds.

And then, too, there’s loyalty to the fans. We watch Dodger prospects developing on the farm and look forward to the day when we will see them as stars on the Dodger team. But management doesn’t care about the fans. They go off half-cocked, trying to make a name for themselves and then are too proud to correct their mistakes. Is there any loyalty to the Dodger kids or the fans? I think that answer is very obvious by now! So, after being a die hard Dodger fan for over 55 years, I am now questioning my loyalty to this team. And, sadly, I am beginning to take satisfaction when the team loses. The only pleasure the games now bring me is the pleasure of seeing the kids do well, but the Colletti/Torre era has proven a disgrace to Dodger tradition and the way the Dodgers used to operate. I feel sorry for the team, but I look forward to the day when the Colletti/Torre era goes down in flames.

I knew it was gonna be rough and prounouced my level of hate towards the McCourts when we failed to sign Vlade. Evans had him wrapped up. Baseball stepped in due to McCourt needing to borrow money to buy the team and McCourt stopped Evans from making the deal.

So it started then, my hate has been building. And this coming of the Fox era.

Honestly fellas I am just hopeful that my kid who is 5 months old, won’t be 6 one day and say Daddy why do we root for the Dodgers, let’s root for the winning team and then I sound like a crazy uncle,” back in 1988 the DODGERS”…blech..

How many F***ing home runs does Kemp have to come off the bench and hit to be in the starting line-up every day. What a mistake the Dodgers made hiring Torre. He didn’t do squat in St. Louis and he’s not going to do squat in LA.

Kemp will end up demanding to be traded and then he will be a superstar somewhere else. Mark my words.

I guarantee that if Kemp was on any other team in the Majors, regardless who else they have, kemp would not be sitting on the bench as he is in LA. What the hell has to happen before the poor excuse for management has their droopy eyes opened and lets the future HOFamer play ever day….
I’m so pissed about this decision, I can hardly stand it. Every time Pierre’s name is mentioned i want to throw up.

At this point, I don’t see us finishing better than 4th place. This division has 3 other good teams, and I think with a couple of changes we can compete but one of the changes has to be Kemp playing everyday.

When it came to keeping Maddux you have to consider that we already had such stalwarts as Hendy and Bombko, so we didn’t need Maddux for 2007, much less give him a contract for 2008 as well. One thing Ned knows how to do is save his owner money – just ask him.

The need for a power hitter was so desperate that Ned shelled out $18 million/year to sign a washed up one. In the meantime, the one legitimate power hitter that the Dodgers have sits on the bench. It defies all logic and reason!

Torre should have retired when he didn’t re-sign with the Yankees. Then his Hall 0f Fame credentials were firmly intact. Now his managerial abilities are being exposed, and we see that he really doesn’t know how to manage. Obviously it was the quality of his players that carried him all those Yankee years. But, hey, he’s got the “Hollywood” big name, so who cares how he manages.

14 Strikeouts and one run allowed and you can’t even give your pitchers 1 stinking run. Absolutely pathetic. I could even accept a 1-0 loss if you put your best team out there, but don’t ANYONE try and tell me that Torre’s a decent manager. I’ve honestly got to question this organizations will to win.

Maybe its time to go over to the even darker side and start rooting for the Angels instead. At least Arty Moreno cares about winning rather than photo ops.

What really gets me is Torre has Phew in there to play small ball. Ferk at second with no one out and he lets the piece of crap swing away. Pierre pops weakly to center. A freakin’ bunt gets the runner to 3rd with 1 out. C’mon Joe, don’t tell us one thing and do another. What a load.

Well, Torre got just what he so richly deserved – ANOTHER LOSS. Dodger management is so pathetic!!! Kemp, who can turn the game around with one swing of the bat, sits on the bench. Pierre, a much less gifted player, takes Kemp’s outfield position. Then Torre brings Kemp in to pinch run, which is Pierre’s job. Does somebody have their head screwed on backwards???

All I can say is this was the worst managed game I’ve seen in a long time. Oh, excuse me, there’s been 13 poorly managed games in my opinion. I don’t give a rats A** how much $$$$$ Pierre is making, He’s not worth a penny of it and needs to be benched. Let Matt Kemp play everyday and he would have won some games for us. What a crock of S*** Torre is as a manager.

Torre is as bad as Grittle. Any manager that starts a pinch runner in left field, an then uses a real left fielder as a pinch runner is lousy in my book. The Dodgers need power in this line up , and that’s what Kemp brings, not to mention better defense. Hey Joe , left field is a power position, not a dribbler position. Maybe if this team continues to lose and not score much , the brain Torre might figure it out. If they’re not going to play Kemp, then trade him and let him succeed somewhere else.

We shouldn’t blame the players for these losses. These are MANAGEMENT losses!! Colletti and Torre have created and maintained an intolerable situation. Not playing the best players – players whose skills match the Dodgers’ needs – and then constantly shuffling the lineup has created a losing environment. Much of baseball is mental. When there is bewilderment, uncertainly, apprehension, lack of logic, stupid rationale, etc., it is not an environment where the team can pull together and play loose. Unless this changes, the Giants will have some competition for last place.

I’m so damned pissed and disgusted I just wrote a long diatribe about Torre et al., but deleted it. I decided ****-it no one gives a crap anyway.

I’m glad I don’t go to the stadium anymore though because when I’m paying all that money just for seats, parking and a friggin hotdog, I’d at least like to see the best players out there. I doubt there’s anybody out there that looks at the line-up before buying gameday tickets and says, “Holy **it Martha, JPs playing today!! Let’s go to the game!!”

Don’t get me wrong, if I lived out there I would attend a few games each year regardless. However, if they were were producing and putting the best product out there consistantly, I would get season tickets. Probably the split, so around 40 games a year. I can’t remember when I have felt this flat about the Dodgers.

It is hard to watch the current regime make a laughing stock of our beloved team. The Dodgers have been my #1 team in baseball for 43 years now. I hope to see another world championship in my lifetime. LOL

One can only scratch one’s head at management buffoonery. If sports is supposed to be entertainment, I’m not the least bit entertained by either Colletti or Torre. And the only person for miles who can match Andruw’s smirk is Ned himself. I’m not angry at our record, our performance or our effort. We’ve seen a lot worse these past 20 years. But I am SEETHING at Torre right now…and Colletti. And it all boils down to Kemp. Never in my long years as a fan have I ever wanted a Dodger to fail. But in order to get Kemp in the line-up that’s what I find myself doing–rooting for Pierre or Jones to fail. And that’s completely unacceptable. And I blame Joe and Ned.

Interesting comments by SI’s Gennaro Filice. It may have been quoted before, but it’s worth another look.

Deja Blue: In November 2006, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti signed center fielder Juan Pierre to a five-year, $44 million deal. “I truly believe the city of Los Angeles is going to love this player,” the GM said at the time. Just one year into the deal, though, Colletti realized that Pierre is an out machine at the plate with a noodle arm in the field.

So last winter the Dodgers took another stab at filling the center field position, shelling out $36.2 million in a two-year deal for Andruw Jones. Unfortunately, the early returns on Jones have been wholly discouraging as well.

Jones’ increased girth startled observers in spring training, and his production in the young season has been similarly shocking. At the plate, Jones picked up right where he left off last season: in a huge slump. The five-time All-Star is batting .129 with a laughable .161 slugging percentage. In 34 plate appearances, Jones has struck out 10 times and left 19 runners on base. His play in the field is even more jarring. The 10-time Gold Glover may be error-free, but he has noticeably lost a step. On Monday night Jones misplayed an Eric Byrnes line drive so badly, I had to rewind the play five times to make sure it was really him.

Oh, did I mention that Pierre’s hitting .167 and has yet to score a run this season?

Besides making a huge imprint on Los Angeles’ payroll, these two signings have created a logjam in the outfield. Until the Dodgers hoodwink some team into taking Pierre, talented youngsters Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp face the possibility of erratic playing time. It’ll be very interesting to see how Joe Torre handles this situation going forward.

I hate to say it, but our best three outfielders at the momnet includes Juan Pierre. Jones should be on the bench. Play Kemp and Eithier everyday and platoon Pierre and Jones. Or better yet, get rid of them both and put Repko in center with Young as backup.

I just cant believe how Kemp hit a bomb 24 hours ago and its a 1-0 game and Pierre has not hit a HR in like 800 ABs and Kemp dosent even get a shot..its just bad management. i mean are we even trying? you know with Pierre it will take 2 f-ing hits in a row (at least) to score.

to be fair torre might be a good manager (u all know how i feel, i feel managers are all the same.) but so far as dodger manager i give him a F.

What really gets me is Torre has Phew in there to play small ball. Ferk at second with no one out and he lets the piece of crap swing away. Pierre pops weakly to center. A freakin’ bunt gets the runner to 3rd with 1 out. C’mon Joe, don’t tell us one thing and do another. What a load.

PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP PLAY KEMP

I think the #1 person to blame for all this is Colletti.
He either doesn’t know what is doing, or he has no faith in the players that are developed in this organization
Everyone of us felt that Gonzo was blocking Kemp from playing as it moved Ethier to right field.
When Gonzo left it was like a breath of fresh air finally we could move Ethier back to left and move Kemp in to play in right.
At that moment we could forget about Pierre because we were stuck with him.
At least at this point we had both Ethier & Kemp to play every day.
But Ned put a stop to that and hired Andruw Jones.
Pierre was the all time worse aquisition, no matter what kind of excuses he gives for it.
We needed a power hitter yes but not in the outfield.
Once he decided he wouldn’t give anybody up for Cabrera, common sence tells you he should have STOP right there.

There were two strikes after the balk call in the first inning, so a bunt attempt by Pierre would have been the wrong call, they have to let him swing away. Also, Pierre lined the ball to second in that same at bat. It was just a frustrating day today and HOT. Lefty Duke tomorrow, so we’ll get Kemp and hopefully for Pierre, not Ethier. Jones needs help, lots and lots of help. Dodger Stadium is going to eat him alive and those boos are getting louder by the day.

Sometimes I think he is a Giant fan and when he came here he got the opportunity to help out is favorite team by making sure that we can not improve ourselves.
Everytime we make a good move he blocks it.

This is a struggle we all seen coming.
Colletti had to cover his stupid mistake this off season by doing NOTHING, but no, he made sure he would put a stop to what looked like we had the makings of a pretty good outfield even with a light hitting CF, which was his fault.

I’m not faulting Torre yet
I’m still trying to figure out what he’s doing.
He seems to have a plan.
At least he has an excuse, lame or not.
I know one thing the longer Kemp remains on the bench, the more this situation is going to get ugly.
If he rotates all four in some sort of a sporadic way without ruining their timing and the results are good, meaning we’re
winning often, then I’m with him.
Don’t forget while he was the Yankee MGR, he used the hell out of the DH spot. Everybody DH and it help him emencely

Colletti is got us rooting against our own players.
In all my years as a Dodger fan I don’t ever remember us hoping someone fails because we know in our hearts it would be for he betterment of the team.
When I’m watching the game my instinct gut feeling is to root for the guy wearing Dodgers across his chest because I’ve been doing it almost all my life. It’s maddening.

Riddle me this: Why would you let Popgun (some prefer “Slappy”) hit with a man on first and two out in the eighth? The odds of him driving in the run in that situation are (assuming that DeWitt scores from first on a double or more) 22-to-1 based on a little over 700 Plate Appearances and 32 extra-base hits last year.
.
The odds of Kemp driving him the run in are approximately twice as good, 11-to-1, based on Kemp’s 27 extra-base hits in a little over 300 Plate Appearances last year.

Similarly the odds of Kemp at least extending the inning are about ten percent better than Slappy. (Kemp .373 OBP, Popgun .331 OBP)

And the odds of Kemp hitting a homerun to give us the lead are pretty dang close to INFINITY times more likely than Slappy hitting one.

Well that’s true Alex and didnt think of that when posted I admit. what I guess I am saying is right there with 2 strikes i wish he could bunt for the good of the dodgers (obviously my gut reaction! although you cant bunt per baseball odds, and per the book i get it) because i do not belive he can hit the ball the way he wants/needs to when he needs to. Hitting the ball in the air there was a given. Seen it all last year. with RISP he hit .240 with a .291 OBP over his last 800 ABs. The odds are slim he is productive anyways..They would know this if they hired someone to tell them. Take the chance he can get it in play but give him one strike to hit it on the ground for sure..make the choice for him, he tried to get a hit as always…”stay aggressive, play my game. it aint pretty, i aint on espn,”but like I said, Torre couldn’t and that was my point.

Would any of us wanted Kemp to lay one down with 2 strike there if he had been up?

It’s hard to imagine 4 good outfielders. One of them would be better off going to a team that can use him everyday.
What I mean is you want 3 everyday outfielders.
The 4th outfielder has to be good but not exactly that good.
Like a second string catcher, you know, very necessary but only when needed.
Play a little bit just to stay in shape and ready.
We all have a dream outfield. We all know who we personally want as our 4th outfielder.
The sooner we get to this point the better.
In the meantime……………………………………….?

After Nomar gets back we are going to have some more “fun”.
They’ll probably send DeWitt down P R O B A B L Y.
You never really know what they will do. They probably will make a last minute decision, like maybe hold on to DeWitt until LaRoche gets back and send some one else down.
THEN THE FUN REALLY BEGINS.

Sometimes I feel like forgetting about the standings, until this mess calms down , if ever.
But of course that is impossible.
I tell you one thing, I think everybody should keep their eyes on Mr. Colletti.
This guy,,,,,
Everytime he makes a move, things get worse.

I enjoyed the chest bumps between Kemp and Ethier after the final out last night. Kids having fun. Kids winning. Beyond that little celebration Kemp must be miserable 90% of the time. I know I’d be. It’s not like Mantle and Maris are getting playing time in front of him. And his bomb last night was the OTHER WAY on a breaking ball. Just what they’ve been preaching and want him to do. As someone blogged earlier, nice reward, Torre.

When Kemp hit his HR last night, for a moment, we all saw what it should be.
For a split second this team gave us the feeling off WHAT IT SHOULD BE.
Not to see Kemp’s name in the lineup this afternoon was enough to make me feel like we were being sabotaged.
The excuse of he’s hitting .500 against Maddux but it’s only in 2 ABs
But it’s O.K. for K-Jones to swing his butt off as long as wishes.

Torre said that Pierre was playing in place of Kemp because he hits good against Maddux.
But it was Jones that should’ve been given the day off so that Kemp could get some playing time.
Jones could have sat a little and got back in there, maybe tomorrow night and took his swishes practicing his swing, hoping that he’s going to connect one of these days.
At the same time Pierre could get his rest.
Ethier is doing good right now and should stay in there.
Where am I going here, I’m not the MGR.

1 – They are very aware of the need to remove Pierre from the team and are showcasing him so that the other clubs can see what he is able to do. This will enable the Dodgers to releave themselves of the burden of his contract and the division in the clubhouse and the team can get on with the business of putting the best 8 on the field.

dodgereric, Is 9 years in the bigs not enough of a showcase? You’re getting a .275-.300 hitter with no power that doesn’t strike out or walk and will steal 40 bases all while showing-off his squirt gun arm in the OF. Did I miss anything guys (like this won’t open a can of worms)?

CONGRATULATIONS NED! Your brilliant, well-thought-out off-season acquisitions of Jones and Torre and your failure to move Pierre have paid immediate dividends! They have instilled new hope in the Giants that your former team won’t finish last this season. And it only cost multi-millions of dollars to accomplish. Good show!!
P.S. Are you still on the Giant’s payroll?

I agree with most of the posts, this is certainly very distressing. To hear the comment Jones needs to play his way out of it, is ludicrous. If he was hitting the ball with any authority I would agree, but when all he does is flail at the pitch with no confidence it is alarming. He does not even foul a ball hard….Hey Andruw try bunting for a hit. It may not work, but my dad told me that when I was young and when I was struggling I did and it seemed to work for me. You have to watch the ball all the way in. Hell, what do you have to lose. I never thought we would be seeing Pierre with a higher slugging percentage but gee wiz he does.

I say put him on the bench for 2 or 3 days/months and play Kemp, he is hitting the ball with authority, by not playing him you risk losing him, confidence wise. It is absurd that teams do not put in weight clauses in the contracts. Did they not see that he was overweight when they met him in LA to explore signing him? How do you commit 36mil and not have a clause to prevent these fatarse players from taking it for granted. It is encouraging to see that he was taking extra BP after the game, how about some extra conditioning.

Torre, I have said to have confidence in you and trust you, why not man up and tell Andruw to lose 10 lbs by May 1st or you sit. You said you have discussed it and until Andruw realizes it is an issue, not much you can do!!! Horse baloney…Demand it and you will get it…ban him from the pre and post game meals…Nutrisystem!!!! I will even buy you the 1st month if you cannot afford it! Maybe i will purchase for him and send it to the clubhouse, maybe he will get the hint!

Luckily it is still early, but Torre needs to light a fire under them and show if you produce you play, if not you will not. We have to win the series with the Pirates or this could go down a real slippery slope that will be hard to climb.

dodgerboy, I’m with you. Put me down for the second month’s supply, or better yet, take it out of his salary. And while we’re at it, let’s get Torre and Colletti some green tea or Brahmi or something to improve their intelligence.

Logan White for GM campaign has officailly started!!! Who is in…Think about what he has done since he became the farm director…the minors was in shambles and he has stockpiled it with talent and will continue to do so….

In Neds defense, he learned form Sabean in SF, who obviously is a veteran type GM. If he does not panic and trade away his pitching the Gnats (this hurts to say it) they will be relevant it 2-3 years. Ned if nothing else, you should have learned that going with the vets ie Nomar, Loaiza, Jones (jury still out), Hendrickson, will not get you to the promised land. You have to get people who have the ability to go up, not when they are on the down cycle.

Kahli, he may be like Latrell Sprewell and may not be able to live off 18 mil, he has a family!!!

Back about a million years ago (or maybe only 30) I was fascinated with Ty Cobb. I didn’t admire him, mind you, but I was fascinated. I read volumes. Now, you can say what you will about his personal makeup and you will be right, but as far as his baseball intelligence goes, he was and still is unsurpassed. In his autobiography, he said that when he started to go into a slump, he would concentrate on hitting the ball up the middle. As soon as he was able to do that consistently, he found he was able to return to normal. It has always seemed like good advice to me.

I got to go to the Friday and Saturday night games, and living in Northern California, this doesn’t happen often, Even though there are many player issues out there (Kemp, Pierre, Jones, and probably now DeWitt) and I totally agree with all of you (sit Pierre/Jones and play the kids), it still is Dodger baseball, and Dodger Stadium is an awesome sight. Every time I go, it is an adrenaline rush like no other. I know it’s been said by many of you, but it hurts to want a Dodger to do poorly so everything will be made right. However, every time Pierre and Jones got up, I couldn’t boo them (there were plenty of people around us doing it for me), especially Friday when there were chances that came to them to possibly help score runs that night. However, in the back of my mind, all I kept thinking was, we need Kemp up instead right now. Sorry for the long post. I couldn’t wait to get back home and read all the comments about the games this weekend. It’s funny seeing a game live and pretty much sure of what all of you are saying and thinking at times. LETS GO GET THOSE PIRATES TONIGHT!! GO DODGER BLUE!!

Yeah thats a pretty common approach to hitting eric, when trying to hit the ball up the middle, you’re keeping your front side closed off to the pitcher, hands inside the ball, and squaring up barrel-head to the pitch. I haven’t seen a single AB from Jones this year that applied this method (don’t pull your head out Andruw!). BTW, despite his ridiculous stance Cobb is one of the greatest hitters to have ever played this game.

I’m with you. I’m having a tough time with the way things are being run (into the ground). When I see Pierre in LF and batting 2nd to boot, I just want to ignore the Dodgers that day/night, but I find myself tuning in out of curiosity none the less. The Dodgers are my team, you know?

More good news…..Nomar coming back by maybe Friday….he went 0-7 in triple A…..can’t wait…Let’s bench DeWitt who has been doing great considering, and put a vet in who swings at the first pitch and pops out….maybe he should bat in front or behind Andruw…..what a lineup!!!!

I was at Saturday night’s game–great game, and I thought it would be us breaking out.

When Matt Kemp came up to hit–just before he hit 1/8th of the team’s home runs this season–DodgerVision flashed this statistic: Matt Kemp’s .342 average in 2007 was the fourth best in Los Angeles Dodgers history. The Fourth Best!

Think about that for a second, because if you imagine what would have happened the last time a hitter posted the fourth-best average in Los Angeles histroy, if the next year he were platooning (or, even playing less) with a weak, slappy hitter, it’s unthinkable. I am pretty sure that Dodger fans would have rioted. I am pretty sure that the manager would have been fired. And I am pretty sure that we would never have seen the best average in Los Angeles Dodger histroy. Because the last time a player posted the fourth-highest average in Los Angeles history was 1996, when Mike Piazza hit .336, and the next year posted a .362 average, the best average in Los Angeles Dodger history (and the single greatest season by a catcher in the history of the game).

Seriously, can you imagine Bill Russel going up to Piazza and saying, “Mike, we know you can hit, but you know, we have Kirt Manwaring, who’s a real veteran. . . .” ??? (OK, Pierre is not that bad, but who remembers John Flaherty.) That would be it. He’d be gone. Tommy Lasorda would come out of retirement and kick his butt for it.

It’s just thoroughly baffling. And it makes even the good games (11-1 on Saturdday), which there are too few of so far, difficult to enjoy.

Dewitt doing an awesome job at third, he is playing really good defense. And i actually like the way he is looking at the plate. He is fourth in the team with hits, not to mention he is batting 20 points more then Jeff Kent. He deserves to keep playing. I think soon he will catch fire. He looks like a better hitter then LaRoche. He might not have a hole lot of power but he doesn’t swing out of his shoes like LaRoche.
DeWitt will be all right.

First of all, it was clearly the right-field pavillion that was the trouble section. At one point, several aisles started pelting people with objects as they were being escorted out by security. This, I suppose, is not surprising, since it’s all you can eat (or throw) out there.

Overall, the Top Deck was a very good crowd. The Padres fans got appropriately jeered when they left, but I did not hear any cross words, no fights, etc. Very family friendly. In fact there was a row of kids that were keeping score (bravo for them) next to us.

In the end, the most obnoxious events were 1) when I thought that the Coca-Cola challenge was asking who the 1949 Rookie of the Year was, and I was stunned that they had said it was Jackie Robinson, who of course won the award in 1947 (someone pointed out to me that it was the MVP award, which soothed me, because I thought that they had managed to screw up a critical piece of history; and 2) When my brother and I sand the Loney song every time he came to bat–but each time we got a round of applause from our section, so I think people like it.

leekfink,
I was in left field Friday and Saturday both nights (Friday – field level and Saturday – Loge Deck). The Saturday night Loge group was more well behaved than the Friday group. The Friday night group was relentless toward Hairston and Pierre. I felt bad for the little girl that was sitting next to me. She didn’t have to hear all the bad language. I had kids around Saturday night too, and it was a much more family friendly group. I heard the Dodger Talk after the game, and a caller said the right field issue was a Padre fan (and girlfriend) were egging the Dodger Fans on so it sounds like deserved, but probably could of been dealt with without the food fight.

Hey everyone, long weekend. I caught all the games on TV and have to say I fast forwarded quite a bit of it. I couldn’t stand to watch Slappy and Fridge at the plate.
I don’t think we should have to sit through this travesty of a management regime. Isn’t bad enough most of us have to deal with bad management at our day jobs wouldn’t it be nice to get home from work and see how the “professionals” do it? I think the NED show should be cancelled and bring on LOGAN NOW!!!!!!

That’s a hard one carcyn – D’backs are playing the Giants. I guess it would depend on how the Dodgers do tonight because if we lose, we will be in last place, and certainly don’t want to be behind the Giants ( I will never hear the end of it!!)

I found the link that jungar posted earlier very interesting, but not in the least surprising. Many of us have disected Ned’s management moves repeatedly, but the only voice that matters in the end will be Frank McCourt’s. I have to believe that Ned’s neck has to be on the block with his fate to be determined by this season’s outcome. The way that Torre seems to be approaching the season is like we have all the time in the world to experiment with the different lineups – like games lost in the early season don’t matter as much as what happens in September. The problem that I see is that we have no clear direction as a team in spite of the declarations that we’re going with the youth movement. “Going with the youth movement” is what I see exemplified by Arizona a year ago. They cut loose of distractions and veterans like Gonzo and put their youngsters on the line for better or worth. We pay lip service to the same objective, but when it comes down to it, we sit down Kemp and will do likewise with DeWitt as soon as we can possibly replace him with Nomore. We’re obviously not going to keep an $18 million obligation or a $9 million contract on the bench for more than the occasional game until after Ned is gone and we turn the GM over to somebody who will spell out the direction and then follow it. It’s not going to be Torre by himself doing that.

We can fret and be frustrated all we want, and I’ve been all of that for pretty much all of last year and 13 games or whatever so far. All I can say is:

I’m too far away to make a difference, but I’d stay out of Dodger Stadium until management showed that they really want to win , and not just make money. From what you people say , it seems pretty expensive to go see the game. Unless they put a better product on the field , I’d stay home. Hit Frank in his wallet, and that might make a difference. As for Nomore coming back Friday, big deal. I’d rather they stick with Dewitt. He’s shown he can play , and will possibly get better, where as Nomore’s best days are way behind him.

dnelson,
You and I are in the same boat, we will never hear the end of it if the Dodgers are in the cellar.
And Messagebear is also right, without a change in management we are not going to see anything more than the garbage we saw last year, trotting out fading vets at the expense of some extremely talented young players.

“The Yankees under Joe Torre for a long time carried fourth outfielders that would never get off the bench. The Dodgers under Joe Torre never sit their fourth outfielder down. Juan Pierre started over Matt Kemp in all three games against the Padres. It happened even though Pierre is hitting .250/.276/.286 with one run scored in 28 at-bats. Perhaps that’s the scariest thing. Despite his abysmal spring, Pierre is the same player he’s been the last three years. When he’s back hitting an empty .290, Torre will probably resume penciling him into the lineup without thought. It’s too risky to drop Kemp in a mixed league already — the kid hit .342 in 292 at-bats as a 22-year-old last season — but as durable as the rest of the Dodgers outfield is, it’s possible he’ll remain worthless for the bulk of the season.”

I am in mixed league and I originally started with Ethier, Kemp, Jones in the outfield hoping that would be the case, and that Jones would be hitting. Ethier, considering I was gambling that he would even play, is turning out to be pretty good. The Kemp part of this sucks, but the good side for me is that I had Justin Upton on the bench so I immediately sat Jones and am doing really good because of it so far. However, Torre not playing Kemp is killing me. Play Kemp please!!! He is too good to be sitting!!!

fliegel,
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I love your idea of hitting McCourt in the pocketbook. But I’m realistic enough to know that my $60+/- per game isn’t going to have the slightest effect. If we can get a serious protest movement going, I’m all in.
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My demands:
1) Matt Kemp starts no fewer than 95% of the remaining games.
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2) Juan Pierre starts no more than once a week until he raises his OBP to at least .360, and only starts more than once a week so long as he maintains the .360 OBP.
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3) All young players are presumptive starters, and remain starters until such time as it is clearly shown that a veteran is much more likely to provide better play. (Eg. With Blake DeWitt playing very good defensive third base and holdig a .383 OBP, an argument could be made that Nomar is a better option, but it is not clear that Nomar would be better than DeWitt. Thus DeWitt remains the starter. The same standard would not apply to LaRoche since he, like DeWitt is a young player.)

In a very short time period I’ve really had it with Torre. Amazing…but true. Even if they string together 20 consecutive wins with Kemp on the pine I’ll still be bitter. What a complete and utter waste. Managers and GMs who prefer vets over young talent (I didn’t say rookies, I said young talent) get just what they deserve.

The only thing about McCourt firing Coletti is: they both wooed Andruw and couldn’t wait to get him…!!! so both of them are at fault…We never needed him…we just needed our “young talent” to play everyday!!!…I’m sure Dodgers fans would be much happier….I said it when it happened, and I’ll say it now….Andruw Jones was another terrible acquisition….!!! in fact it got the WORST offseason acquisition on foxsports.com……no confidence in Coletti.~!!!!!

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